Have fun Chuck!

best regards,
mike

Very cool..... so you basically get thrown into the deep end of the pool and told to swim.... 

Go for it and have fun...... remember to have fun. 

I would take a finished mix of their best song and import it into a track in the new project. That would give you a handy reference to compare/analyze with a quick click of the solo button. Throw an instance of SPAN on it, and another on your master. Put both into Mastering mode, which is slower and better-suited for a broader overview. 

Don't bother with actual EQ-matching; that'll likely just waste time. All you're trying to do is avoid gross differences, such as a mix that's clearly bass-heavy compared to the other finished tracks.

bitflipper


I would take a finished mix of their best song and import it into a track in the new project. That would give you a handy reference to compare/analyze with a quick click of the solo button. Throw an instance of SPAN on it, and another on your master. Put both into Mastering mode, which is slower and better-suited for a broader overview. 

Don't bother with actual EQ-matching; that'll likely just waste time. All you're trying to do is avoid gross differences, such as a mix that's clearly bass-heavy compared to the other finished tracks.

+1 to this, I'd also not bother with eq matching because what you record with them will differ from what they recorded with Matt. When you grab a mastered curve from something that is not what your source is NOW, it will not sound right. For example, you know I've been working on some old Van Halen songs for my tribute band. The only way the VH master curve would somewhat work for me is if I went out of my way to cop the instrumentation and the mix as close as possible. Even there, I'd still probably fall short.
 
Listen to what they have and try to concentrate on the instrumentation choices they made as well as how the instruments were enhanced/mixed. Then do your best to uniform if you can. If not, it is what it is brother. You do the best you can and make the song sound the best that it can be as an entity instead of trying to compete with what is already there. If the instruments used for the other recordings will not be the same instrument sounds used on the recording they do with you, you're already at a disadvantage.
 
Or, who knows...with your instrumentation, you may wind up with a better product which is always a plus too. I'd rather have someone say "dude, this is actually better than what we did with the other songs...how can you make it sound a bit worse?" LOL! You just never know man...stranger things have happened in this field....and sometimes, famous producers/engineers (eventhough they know their stuff) get famous due to the band they work with. That band would remain famous even if you me or bitflipper did the mix. When fans love a band, that band is going to sell no matter who engineers, mixes or masters them. So you just may surprise yourself here Chuck. Just do what you do the best that you can brother.
 
At any rate, I wish you the best of luck with this. I got faith in you man! :)

Should be loads of fun, as well as a learning experience, not to mention a great credential. It appears you're quite concerned about the mix and how well it will fit with the other tracks, and based on what I've seen/heard from you on this forum, I'm betting you'll do just fine.

Equally important to your mixing skills, in my opinion, will be your people skills during this process. Ask any successful engineer/producer, and you'll find they are masters at managing time and the varied personalities/situations you'll encounter while recording. 

Creating an environment and atmosphere for the musicians that allows their best performances to come through will make the mixing process much easier and more rewarding for all involved.

Oh yeah, and keep Danny's number on speed dial!

Bit- Yeah that is exactly what I planned on doing.

Danny- thanks dude!  Solid advice as usual and yep, I was asking them today about what guitars/amps they used and how many   tracks they layered in etc.  I will do my best and explained to the guys that I'll give it my all to make is sound as close as I can so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb on the record but they also needed to keep in mind that I am not working with a half a million dollars worth of analog gear and I am not charging anything near what they were paying him either.  I'll do my best though!

Houndawg- For sure bro.

@Chuck and Danny:  This thread has become a favorite just because of what ideas you guys have put together here.

BTW...Danny...your video looks good with you picking away so fast. lol! Is that the only video you actually have up or am I missing something here?

Lots of albums are recorded/mixed in several studios, often over several months or years.  The mastering stage is the glue that blends all the tracks into one cohesive sound for an album.

Personally I'd have a quick listen to a representative track that they've already done, just to get an idea of what they're aiming for,  then go at it in my own style.

Very often the last thing you want is for all tracks on an album to sound exactly the same, and what works for one song may not work for another.

Do your thing, give it your best. Keep in mind what they've already recorded but don't try to 'copy' the production.  Your own work will always sound better than you trying to copy someone else's work...

I would not even want to listen to the other songs at first. Just do YOUR best and get a great sound...they might get you to re do the whole album! Any way, I agree with Dave about the EQ, the Mastering engineer will deal with that. Mastering is all about blending the album to one sound, of course you don't want to be to far off the mark. Good luck, hope all is good.

I've always wanted to try this HAAS effect too? I'm going to try it on my next mix.

They talk about it here;

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct00/articles/stereomix.htm

And fabfilter gives an example of how to do it here; (starting at 5:10 in this video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNzbA7RBGWI